Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1887-11-05
AN EMPEROR's HORSES.
a glimpse at the Imperial Stables
OF Aastria-rhOusand of Animals
Of Rare BIO0h

diimpse at the Imperial Stables
OF Aastria-rhOusands of Animals
Of Rare Blood.
Frank Richardson writes to the
Baltimore Sun from Vienna, about
Francis Joseph and his horses, as fol-
lows; "All the royal family are
fond OF horseback exercises, and the
Empress, when in England two or
three years since, was pronounced to
be the best lady rider in Europe. It
was her custom always to accompany
the Emperor on his gallops though the
great public parks of Vienna, but it is
now year or more since she has
been on the back of horse, having
been positively interdicted such ex-
erclse by the learned doctor of Am
sterdam who attends her. AS she is
% years old it is perhaps time she
should give up such violent exercise
as she made it."
=" visited the stables of the Empe-
ror, which, with the court yards, cover
l don't know how many acres of
ground, and saw the spacious inclos-
ure where the Empress used to break
in fractions steeds before riding them
in public. A private dressing-room
for her especial use is attached, with
all conveniences, including mirrors
all around for her to admire herself in
her riding-habits, and gallery for a
band of music, which played while
she displayed her skill and nerve
amid the plaudits of the select few
who were admitted to the exhibition.
The stables are not more finely ap-
pointed than several l have seen be-
longing to private gentlemen in the
United States, but were many times
larger, and the stalls are immensely
roomy. The Emperor owns more
than three thousand horses, distrib-
uted through the stables attached to
his various palaces in town and
country.
"In the Vienna stable there are
now about 440 horses, attended by
200 stablemen and grooms and
guarded by a regiment Of infantry.
The horses are all picked and all
young. Over each stall is the name
and pedigree of the horse and the
year in which foaled, and saw none
that were over six. When they get
past that age they are considered no
longer fit for the Enperor's use, but 1
could not discover whether they are
sold or given away. Never less than
eight horses are put to the great
coaches on state occasions, nor less
than four for the smaller carriages.
To very few of the coaches is there a
drivers seat, as postillions in the
most gorgeous and elaborate livery are
put upon the horses. There are two
sets of horses particularly which, if l
may be permitted to borrow that
favorite feminine expression, were
just too lovely for anything
"There were twenty milk-whites
and twenty coal-blacks used for the
occasions. The whites were white as
white can be, and the blacks, twenty
magnificent stations, who carried
their proud heads as high as any En-
peror, were black as black could be.
Such flowing names, such tails, fairly
trailing on the ground, and combed as
fine as the hair OF women, were a
sight to behold. There were nearly
one hundred horses in the stables,
used only under the saddle, and upon
whom no harness had ever been
placed. 1t would be quite impossible
that Francis Joseph or any other man
could get much personal use out OF
the 5000 horses, even if he deXoted
his whole time to riding and driving.
But the entire stock has chance to
show what it is made of, for it is the
custom OF the Emperor upon all state
occasions to provide the numerous
staff which attends him and the En-
press with coaches and horses. The
staff will include hundreds, male and
female, OF the blood royal and of the
nobility, besides the military officers.
"The collection OF carriages is not
less interesting than the horses. The
number here is about one hundred
and fifty. There are a dozen or more
grand coaches, blazoned all over, even
to the wheels, axles and poles, with
gold and gilt, and the pannels orna-
mented with painting. The ornamental
ton on the coach first made for Marie
Theresa could not have cost less than
100000. This coach is never used
now. Standing by it's side is the
coach in which Napoleon Bonaparte
and Marie Louise first rode as consorts,
and not far away is the little coach
OF rich and artistic design, and which
was drawn by goats, is there to re-
mind Francis Joseph of the drives
which he enjoyed before he put on his
trousers. There are several carriages
which belonged to the Archduke Max
imilian, the brother of the late En-
peror, and also the saddle which he
rode in Mexico before the Mexicans
put cold lead into him. These are re-
garded as precious relics and no one is